You’ve come a long way baby.
Not.
It was better with Nixon. Oh yes.
And apparently Obama really scares the man who helped bring down the 37th President. Oh pull- ease.
But this column digresses. That is topic for another day.
To quote Sarah Palin: How is the hopey, changey thing working for ya?
We cannot, as a nation, posit that people must explore their consciences and do the right thing and then keep them in solitary for 1000 days. It is clear there is much more jail time looming for Bradley Manning.
It's easy to say you are a Christian, blather on about evolution not being proven and making school curriculum reflect that insanity, while slashing social programs.
But many whose actions are based on their true beliefs, are penalized by a thousand points of light. (Just trying out a simile using the old Poppy Bush phrase. No hidden meaning.)
Read Matt Taibbi’s article about HSBC’s talent at money laundering for drug cartels and terrorists. Clearly they were quite good at aiding ruthless and violent outlaws. No executive, when the DOJ finally FINALLY prosecuted these crimes, went to jail or had assets seized. But a young whistleblower from that corrupt behemouth is now unemployed and struggling.
When Daniel Ellsberg released the Pentagon Papers about the Vietnam War, the New York Times printed them.
Bradley Manning could not get folks from the Times or the Washington Post to return his calls.
And Ellsberg was not sentenced to prison nor tortured. He was brought to trial, which further pried open and allowed citizens to see just some of the illegal and insane actions of the Nixon Administration. This led to the ultimate indictment of many of his top aides. (And their time in jail.)
We as a nation, either collectively or individually, cannot denounce people who have supported heinous governments or despicable corporations while simultaneously not protecting our citizens who do speak out.
The Obama administration finally gets tough but not inre Wall Street, oil spills or fracking, but this.
Thank Bradley Manning for his service and release him.
Or give him the Nobel Peace Prize this year.
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